“You were right to keep this a secret, Alexis,” Clair looks at me with a soft smile, “though I take it as a testament of trust that you share with us now.”
I nod in agreement and turn to Morose, “and I trust your judgement as wellDuhni, and would be honored with your presence and help in my search alongside Golem.”
Clair smiles at Morose as the old woman replies, “the honor is mine.”
“Then I think my job here is nearly complete,” Clair steps towards me, eyes twinkling in friendliness, “what do you need, Alexis? What can I provide you over the next few days that will help?”
I consider the offer and think of the long nights I’ve spent in Disce’s libraries, always fending for myself.
“Coffee or tea, something with caffeine… and perhaps a thicker coat if my search leads me to the top of the mountain.”
Clair’s hands reach for mine, giving them a small squeeze, “I’ll make sure both are brought to you by midday, as well as breakfast, lunch and dinner on each day.”
I look into her blue eyes, then to the red of her hair that’s framing her friendly face. I grin in simple knowledge that after today, I know the two of us are going to become good friends.
“Thank you, Claire.”
“You are very welcome,” she gives my hands one last squeeze and then turns to Morose. She hugs the old woman before bowing to Golem, finally bounding down the stairs with Alba following at her heels.
“I assume you have a general idea of what to search for?” Morose looks at me in question, immediately setting us to the task at hand.
“Yes,” I nod, moving to the table and chairs on this height.
I pull my bag over my shoulder and place it on top, looking around for a piece of paper.
“We have four sets of words that we’re looking for. I’ve found all of them in my past searches in some way or fashion but never within the same book.”
Morose’s wrinkled fingers reach out to me with a pen and paper. I quickly write the words three times and rip them into three separate sheets as I speak them aloud.
“Old World, bird of ash, reborn, and Ancients.”
I hand both her and Golem a copy with a frown.
“I’ve seen Old World and Ancients in the same texts more times than I care to remember. Bird and ash appear frequently, though never asone term. Reborn is rare. I think I’ve only seen that word once or twice in the last two years of my travels.”
Morose furrows her brows and mumbles quietly to herself. “Bird of ash…bird of ash. I’ve heard of this before. That term is definitelyOldOld World.”
I pull my cloak tightly around my front and look up to the thousands of books stacked along the mountain.
“Can you explain to me how you’ve organized the heights?”
I hear Morose sigh, “you might as well take a seat.”
There are thirty-three heights in the library of Red Falls.Thirty-three. And while each height becomes smaller and more condensed in size as you move up the peak of the mountain, the number alone is daunting.
Of the thirty-three heights, we discount five heights that don’t need to be searched. The first of those belong to heights thirty-two and thirty-three. According to Morose, who made it all the way up to the thirty-second height a few months ago, a feat I couldn’t help but stare at her in astonishment when she explained, that level is so small and condensed and too close to the mountain peak that all of the books are frozen over with ice. Apparently there’s a large tunnel-like hole in the peak of the mountain that allows for fresh air and snow to make its ways into the top heights, and with the way Morose described the books there, I know they won’t be in any condition to host the information that we need. If the water from the snow hasn’t already soiled the pages, then the brittle ice is no doubt consuming each one. I can only envision trying to open a page on those heights and watch as it breaks into shards in my fingers.
We quickly dismissed those two heights and took them off our list.
The other three heights that we discarded were organized solely to host books that contained information on the current events of the Kingdoms. Their texts only take place in the last three-hundred years or so, and since Morose is sure that bird of ash is a term used in theOldWorld, during the times of the Ancients, we decide to leave those heights well alone.
That leaves twenty-eight heights to search within the span of three days, not to mention the fact that we’ll literally be climbing a mountain as we go. We all agree to try to tackle ten heights a day, with Morose and Golem bringing me books so I can read through them and look for what’s needed.
I decide to help them with the search on the first two heights as I don’t have any books to review or begin with. I start by analyzing the catalogue on each height and pull any cards whose summaries contain the words or anything close, then grab those books from their shelves before moving them up to the northern wall of height five, the height we’ve decided will act as our meeting hub for the day.
The task alone takes up the rest of the morning. At times I run into Morose and Golem at the meeting table on the fifth height, but other timeswe won’t see eachother for long periods of time. We keep busy and stay determined in our search, the three of us bringing back books to the table until it slowly becomes stacked and crowded.
When I finally finish my search of the first two heights, I take a comfortable seat at the table and begin the chore of reading. I open each book slowly, a new wariness making its way into my mind as I wait for something to happen. When no flames or ash from my touch causes the books to turn in on themselves, I read each catalogue card first and then flip diligently through the pages. Many of the books I read are discarded, while others are set aside to be examined more thoroughly. I make sure to place those books into a separate pile from the rest and continue on.
